Ingredient Watch

There are thousands of supplements on the market containing Garcinia Cambogia. This bitter fruit has been touted across the world as an effective weight loss treatment. There are no real figures, but...
More....

More recently, the search for ‘nutrient-dense’ functional foods that in addition to having health benefits cause fat loss has been on the rise. Adzuki beans belong to this group of foods. Let...
More....

Pomegranate seeds contain punicic acid (PUA) in high concentrations. This acid, along with other present in smaller amounts – jacaric acid (JAA), catalpic acid (CAA) and eleostearic acids (ESA) – exhibit health...
More....

Extract derived from the lotus plant leaf is increasingly being recognised as an effective tool to reduce body fat. The potential benefit of the lotus leaf extract in reducing body-weight has meant...
More....

Fermentable carbohydrates like inulin, guar gum and fructo-oligosaccharides – amongst others – sufficiently alter intestinal microbial flora to significantly retard the development of obesity. Let us have a look at these fermentable...
More....

Most weight-reducing supplements contain ingredient which undermine human health. Panax ginseng is recent addition to weight-reducing agents that – if supplement companies are to be believed – really works! The questions that...
More....

Recently, grapefruit and its products – juices, powders or extracts – are being suggested as effective alternative to traditional anti-obesity supplements. Let us investigate if grapefruit and the products derived from it...
More....

Xanthan gum is arguably one of the most popular of the food supplements on the market today. Used as an emulsifier and a thickener, Xanthan gum is touted to cause weight loss....
More....

Beta Alanine, a naturally occurring amino acid, combines with histidine to form carnosine in skeletal muscle (Caruso et al., 2012). A relatively new addition to the “ergogenic” group of supplements (those that...
More....

Known for its antidepressant actions, the amino acid, 5-HTP (oxitriptan) has recently come into sharp focus because of its appetite-suppressant action. Although touted as a weight-loss supplement, many are sceptical of its...
More....

Present in sea foods and produced naturally in the human brain, dimethylaminoethanol possesses numerous benefits for human health. Owing to its ability to improve energy levels and cause loss of body weight,...
More....

Developed (and used initially) for its general anaesthetic abilities, gamma hydroxybutyrate (otherwise known as GHB) finds several other applications as well – mostly as a medicine and an ingredient of food supplements....
More....

Cissus quadrangularis is a natural ingredient of some over-the-counter weight-loss supplements. Many believe that Cissus quadrangularis – if you are looking to lose weight – may be just what the doctor ordered!...
More....

Cocoa bean extract (of the ‘chocolate fame’) is one such promising agent that can help reduce body weight (and fight metabolic disease). We ask how much of it is myth and how...
More....

Evodiamine is a supplement ingredient allegedly causing fat loss in a very novel way. Having anti-obesity actions similar to capsaicin, Evodiamine has the potential to grow really big as far as interventions...
More....

L-carnitine is one of the most often used ingredients of over-the-counter fat loss formulas. In theory, L-carnitine almost seems like the ideal fat burner (non-stimulant, preferentially burns fat for energy, with minimal...
More....

The recent death of a 23-year aspiring doctor, Sarah Houston, has put back into sharp focus the dangers of using spurious, unregulated drugs for bodyweight reduction (Rawstorne, 2013). In Sarah’s case, pills...
More....

Over the last few decades, numerous weight-loss drugs have been sanctioned. Orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant are some examples. None of these, however, have delivered as expected. In this article, we are going...
More....

Phenylethylamine is as known as a ‘love drug’ owing to its presence in chocolates (and red wine) and because it has been shown to increase ‘mounting behaviour’ in animal studies. Used traditionally...
More....

L-tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid derived from meat sources. It acts as a precursor for adrenergic hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine (in addition to dopamine). By stimulating the dopaminergic-adrenergic systems l-tyrosine allegedly...
More....